British industries are not adapting fast enough to the Government’s green strategies says a new report published by a leading think-tank, and more than 3 million jobs could be at risk.
The ‘Qualifying For The Race To Net Zero’ research report, by Onward a centre-right think tank and ‘ideas factory’, says that millions of workers will need to upskill or retrain to meet the challenge of net zero.
Builders and bus drivers are most at risk but Onward says that if the government acts quicker they can still meet Boris Johnson’s pledge to deliver a ‘Green Industrial Revolution’.
“At present the UK workforce is woefully prepared for the transition to net zero emissions,” said co-author of the report, Ted Christie-Miller. “If we want people to take advantage of the opportunities of a green economy, and the well-paid green collar jobs it will provide, urgent action is needed to upskill and train people up and down the country”
“This report provides a blueprint for the Government to give businesses the tools to invest in their own workforce and workers the opportunities to improve their skills to grasp the full benefits of the net zero transition. There is no time to waste”
The report analysed the skill requirements of those that work in carbon intensive industries, compared to those that work in net zero roles and found that net zero workers have qualification levels that are on average 24 per cent higher.
The Onward report has underlined five key areas in which the Government might tackle this skills shortfall.
1. Introduce a Green Human Capital Tax Credit to encourage employers to invest in the skills of their employees.
2. Develop new Apprenticeship Standards, T Levels and Degree Apprenticeships to provide net-zero industries with the opportunity to grow their workforces.
3. Fund 2,800 net zero aligned PhDs in order to bolster domestic engineering expertise.
4. Review the free qualifications offered within the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, to ensure the key qualifications required for buildings retrofit are included to help realise the estimated 900,000 – 1.3 million new jobs that will be required in this space by 2030.
5. Establish a number of prestigious Net Zero Academies to address the low skills penetration in regions which also suffer from a high proportion of jobs in carbon-intensive industries.
The problem has been recognised within parliament, with Gareth Davies MP, member of the Levelling Up Taskforce saying: “We face a titanic challenge to upskill the UK workforce for the net zero transition. As this report by Onward shows, we desperately need to increase the level of technical expertise across the country if we are to realise our emissions targets. If we get this right, the green transition can also be a tool for upward social mobility, as green jobs are better paid and often more resilient than other careers.”
